In past years, there has sometimes been full team get-togethers for the Syracuse Crunch on Thanksgiving.

This year, the day will start with business as usual and then the players will get together in smaller groups.

The Crunch will practice as normal on Thursday. When I asked head coach Ross Yates what he's doing for the holiday, he said "video.''

The understated approach is understandable, of course. There's a game on Friday, and guys have their own night-before-the-game routines. And since many of the players are from Canada or overseas, tomorrow doesn't have the same meaning for them as it does for U.S. natives.

Still, Steve Kelly, from Vancouver, plans to have a small gathering, possibly creating one big play date with his three children and Craig MacDonald's two.

Clay Wilson, from Minnesota, is having a dinner for some guys, as is John Vigilante, who is from Michigan.

"We're all living in the same country. It's a holiday. We're going to celebrate,'' Vigilante said.

Adam Pineault, from Massachusetts, said his family will be visiting. Some of the single players on the team might stop by. I asked Adam if he will be doing any of the cooking.

"The wife will be cooking,'' he said. "I did the grocery shopping. It took me five minutes to walk into the place (Tuesday). It was a zoo. Now I'll sit on the couch and the wife does the rest.''

- Channel 3 meteorologist Wayne Mahar took the ice to play some goal after Crunch practice on Wednesday.

"We're in a scoring slump, so we're bringing you out,'' Yates said to Mahar when he skated out. "But I heard you're a pretty good goalie, so you might wreck our confidence.''

Mahar made it out alive, although Alexandre Picard nailed him in the neck guard.

"There was too much snow on the ice,'' Picard said of his aim issues. "It wasn't hard enough to hurt anybody.''